Beet Salad with Avocado, Arugula, and Goat Cheese

This is a versatile salad, so improvise with different ingredients and cheeses, such as nuts and feta. A mixture of beet colors makes a gorgeous dish, but separate reds until the end to avoid staining the others. Whether large or little, beets taste about the same. Large ones just take longer to cook.

Directions

Trim beets, leaving an inch of the tails and stems, and then steam whole over boiling water until tender when pierced with a fork, but not too soft; you want some texture. (A medium-size beet, 3–4 ounces, takes about 25 minutes.) When done, cool, and then slip off skins. Cut beets into wedges or large dice, keeping different colors (if using) separate.

Pound garlic in a mortar with ¼ teaspoon salt until smooth; then stir in lemon juice and olive oil, plus freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss each kind of beet in enough dressing to coat lightly. If any dressing remains, toss with arugula greens. Arrange greens on platter, and then beets. Tuck or crumble goat cheese in and around beets; then add avocado slices. Serve.